The Aeta people in the Philippines use kinship as a form of social organization. They build on a nuclear family which is adaptive and personal. The Aeta organize themselves in a traditional patrilineal, bilateral kinship system. In marriage, it is the male head of the family who makes the decisions. The women are sent to gather food. The family works as a corporation and the kindred mobilizes into larger groups when necessary. The Aeta organize themselves into three specific levels of social groupings: (1) the family unit, (2) family grouping, and (3) village grouping. The family unit among the Aeta tribe consists of the nuclear family. The family grouping consists of more than one family unit. Because the Aeta people share resources, labor, and engage in other forms of cooperation, family groupings are very important. Surnames are used when referring to these family groupings. The Aeta people use the term aklan, which refers to large family groupings according to blood relations. Social groupings among the Aeta people provide a way for societies to organize themselves to avoid conflict with one another. Kinship among the Aeta is extremely important because it helps the community organizers understand the way in which families operate.
Family Structure, Kinship, and Marriage
The Aeta people in the Philippines use kinship as a form of social organization. They build on a nuclear family which is adaptive
and personal. The Aeta organize themselves in a traditional patrilineal, bilateral kinship system. In marriage, it is the male head of the family who makes the decisions. The women are sent to gather food. The family works as a corporation and the kindred mobilizes into larger groups when necessary. The Aeta organize themselves into three specific levels of social groupings: (1) the family unit, (2) family grouping, and (3) village grouping. The family unit among the Aeta tribe consists of the nuclear family. The family grouping consists of more than one family unit. Because the Aeta people share resources, labor, and engage in other forms of cooperation, family groupings are very important. Surnames are used when referring to these family groupings. The Aeta people use the term aklan, which refers to large family groupings according to blood relations. Social groupings among the Aeta people provide a way for societies to organize themselves to avoid conflict with one another. Kinship among the Aeta is extremely important because it helps the community organizers understand the way in which families operate.